“I want to lose weight!” “I want to eat healthier!” “I want to become more fit!”

Do you know what all of these New Year’s Resolutions have in common? They all have one ultimate goal: to live a healthier lifestyle. After all, who doesn’t want to live a healthier life? We all hear about the benefits of living healthy and want to experience it. The truth is that many of us don’t always know exactly how to achieve the often vague goal of living healthier. Surely it’s not quite as simple as exercising a few days out of the week, right? Don’t get me wrong, exercising is extremely vital. However, if we (and I include myself in this) don’t make proper lifestyle choices outside of the gym, then all of our hard work may come to naught. So how can we live healthier in 2014 (and beyond)?

1.) Set up an exercise routine that you can follow through on. For example, if you live a busy life then setting a goal to exercise every day out of the week may not be possible. However, you should try to set aside some time each week (such as 3 days out of the week for 30 minutes to an hour each). If you haven’t already, it is critical that you at least start a routine and stick with it. There will inevitably come times when you may not feel like doing anything. That’s a natural feeling to have, but at least do something physically active on each day.

2.) Watch what you eat. It would be very discouraging to become dedicated to a workout schedule just to realize you’re not losing as much weight as you would hope. The culprit can often be found in not eating right. Foods that are high in calories, fat, etc., work against your efforts. Foods that won’t work against your efforts, such as fruits and vegetables, should be an integral part of your diet. Also try baking more often than frying, and go for low-fat alternatives. And finally, always remember that eating healthier begins with shopping healthier. Shopping for healthier alternatives may take some getting used to at first but sticking with it will pay off in the long-term.

3.) Watch what you drink and breathe in. We often know to watch what we eat, but how often do we really think about watching what we drink too? What about watching what we breathe in? Not much. The scary truth is this: with the amount of contaminants often found in water today, and the rise in air pollution, what we drink and breathe can do just as much damage to our bodies as eating the wrong foods can. Fortunately, this scary truth also has a simple solution: filtration. Water filters (for your refrigerator, faucet, whole home, etc.) and regularly replacing you’re A/C filter will go a long way in protecting you from harmful contaminants. Why not make a New Year’s Resolution to change your filters more often/regularly?

4.) Go green! We recently did a blog post on this very topic (check it out!). If you are anything like me, meaning that you are a novice at going green, then start off small. That can mean committing to recycling more regularly, or simply reducing waste in your home (I’m not just talking about trash, reducing water waste is important too!) Before you know it, you’ll be living green in no time.

In 2014, we can not only make ourselves healthier, but our planet can be healthier too. In what ways can you live a healthier lifestyle in 2014? We’d love to hear from you.